Key management tips | Silage quality | Space requirements

Key management tips

• Complete a silage analysis if not already done so and balance winter diets on the basis of forage quality.
• Prioritise soil sampling over the coming weeks and identify any fields that may require applications of lime to correct soil pH.
• Complete a closing cover on farm and assess grass production for 2021.
• Ensure both finishing and younger stock have adequate feeding and lying space.
• Check animals have access to clean and fresh water.
• Check fences and carry out any necessary repairs.

Silage quality on Green Acres farms

Silage testing has been completed on all of the Teagasc Green Acres farms at this stage. Due to challenging weather conditions in the latter stages of May, which resulted in a two-week delay in harvesting on many farms, quality has fallen slightly when compared to the feedstuff available on farms last winter.

The average dry matter digestibility (DMD) – the measure of quality of silage samples – for 2021 first cuts is 71.4 – falling 3 DMD units from last year’s forage. Crude protein contents of both year’s silage samples were similar at 14.6 and 14.1 for crops made in 2021 and 2020 respectively. In terms of the second cuts, a slight – albeit it only marginal increase – has been witnessed. Second-cut silage quality on the farms enrolled in the Teagasc Green Acres Programme recorded a DMD of 70.8 – up from 70.3 for the corresponding crops in 2020.

Table: Average silage quality on Green Acres farms

Year	Cut	DMD	Crude Protein %
2021	First	71.4	14.6
2020	First	74.4	14.7
2021	Second	70.8	14.1
2020	Second	70.3	13.7

To ensure that weanlings achieve the desired levels of performance over the winter period, additional concentrate supplementation will have to be provided. The below table provides guideline concentrate feeding rates for weanlings over the winter period based on silage quality. Taking a farm carrying 100 weanlings over a 100 day winter as an example – where first-cut silage is targeted at weanlings – an additional 4.5t of concentrate will be required in order to balance the reduction in quality witnessed between 2020 and 2021.

Table: Guideline concentrate feeding rates (kg/head/day)

Animal type	Target ADG	66DMD	68DMD	70DMD	72DMD	74DMD	76DMD
Weanling	0.6kg/day	1.8	1.5	1.2	0.9	0.6	0.4

 Feeding a supplementary concentrate:

• Concentrates should be medium to high in energy (0.90- 0.96UFL).
• 16% crude protein or higher if silages are low in protein.
• Fortified with vitamins and minerals.
• Palatable, fresh smelling and free of dust.
• Fresh, clean drinking water needs to be available at all times.

Space requirements

Careful attention should be paid to the size of the shed available, as overcrowding can lead to a significant reduction in animal performance. Don’t overstock sheds and ensure ventilation is sufficient. The two space requirements that need consideration are floor space and feeding space, which are outlined in the below table.

Table: Floor and feeding space requirements for weanlings

Floor space requirements
	Slatted housing	Straw bedding
Cattle >275kg	2-2.5m2/animal	4m2/animal
Cattle <275kg	1.2-1.5m2/animal	2.4-3m2/animal
Feeding space requirements
Ad-lib roughage	225-300mm/head
Restricted roughage	400-500mm/head
Concentrate supplementation	400-500mm/head